Destination: Australia
by Madame-Bovary-was-framed
Summary: Clary finally turns 18 so the the older shadowhunters send the young MI crew Down Under for a holiday in the sun. As per usual, it's not all just sightseeing that's in store for them...
1. Take On Me

**A/N- Okay so I'm taking up the iTunes challenge. If you don't know what that is, you put your mp3 slash iTunes slash iPod on shuffle, record the names of twelve songs (that's your chapter names) and revolve a story based on the songs. So here goes. P.s I might do more than 12.**

Chapter 1: Take On Me

JPOV

I had never felt emptier or alone for that matter in my life.

Clary had gone away for the weekend and I was stuck here at the Institute because her mum had insisted on it being a 'family' vacation as much as Clary had argued that I was practically family.

Well, Jocelyn put her foot down then and clarified that the holiday was 'mother/daughter' time. So that was that.

Ptf, as if. She just didn't want me to be around Clary any more than I was. But I had to admit, I was around a lot.

However, it's not my fault that Clary lived at the Institute now.

I mean, it's not like I purposely destroyed their apartment, then hooked Luke up with Jocelyn and then told Clary she had to leave them because I thought she was invading their privacy.

Nope- definitely not my doing.

Clary knew what was best for her; to leave her mother and stepfather in peace and to further her training as a shadow hunter.

Yep, I had nothing at all to do with this.

Well, maybe just a little.

Anyway, back to the vacation. Jocelyn had taken Clary to Rhode Island for the long weekend for the reason of 'mother/daughter' time.

Obviously the bonding time wasn't much as Clary was texting me most of the time. Seriously, I had never used a phone so much before I met Clary.

The smell of something putrid wafted down the hall and through my open door.

Oh, that's right- Mayrse's in Idris.

Crap.

I walked to the door, slammed it shut; making sure I paid special attention to turning the lock.

Nothing could hold my attention for any span of time lately. My hands were usually busy holding Clary and now that she had gone away, I was bored.

I looked over at my bedside table where my mobile lay, flashing. Quick as a flash, I rolled over, grabbed the device and flipped it open. It was a text from Clary.

_Im seriously bored. I dont kno y mum took me on hols. Save me PLEASE! C. Xx._

I chuckled. Poor Clary- I knew exactly how she felt.

There was only a day or two left to wait until Jocelyn bought her back to New York.

Back to me.

I pressed the reply option from her message and text back.

_Haha endure it. U should b glad that Jocie took u away from this mad house. Miss u tho. JC._

I pressed send and waited for her reply. It took record time.

_Grrr u suk. Nice 2 kno u miss me. Hold the phone 4 a sec. C._

Huh? What did she mean "hold the phone"? Nobody ever told me that, unless you counted Isabelle when she went through her phase of random yet catchy phrases she would go around saying to everyone. Like the time three years ago, I went to stab a Ravener demon, which was half dead anyway, when Izzy yelled out 'HOLD THE PHONE! Mum'll be furious if she has to wash ichor out of those shoes again!' Now that had been a classic since Izzy was covered in the stuff from pinning another demon to the wall.

The phone started to vibrate in my hand.

Oh! Clary had literally meant to _hold the phone_. I flipped it open and put it to my ear.

"Seriously- hold the phone? Next time, go for a more direct route like I'm going to call you," I chuckled.

"Hey to you too," Clary said laughing.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" I enquired pompously.

"I'm lonely and I wanted to talk to somebody, preferably you."

I thought for a moment, "Your mum's asleep isn't she?"

Clary laughed. "Of course. How else would I have got away with calling you?"

This reiterated my point about Jocelyn's strictness towards Clary and I. She thought it was just some sort of fling, like girls I've seen before Clary, but Clary is different. Clary is my only future and will never be in my past; forgotten like other infatuations her light has blinded me from seeing.

"I have a surprise for you by the way," I said.

Well it wasn't really my surprise to give her, but Mayrse, Robert, Lucian and Jocelyn had so kindly asked me to tell her instead.

Next week Clary was turning 18 and since she was the last of us younger Shadowhunters to come of age, as a gift the adults were sending Isabelle, Alec, Clary and myself overseas.

And I still didn't know what to get her.

"Oh you know I hate it when you say that. Now I'm going to stew about it all weekend."

"Well you only have tomorrow to wait."

"Gah. I hate this stinking holliday. It sucks sh-"

"Now, now- no need to let that red headed temper get to your head."

"Yeah well, you provoked it."

"And love doing it. You're so cute when you get riled up."

I knew my comment would cause a reaction. "You did **not **just call me cute. Kittens are cute, babies in blue are cute, for Pete's sake the zoo's new fat baby panda's are cute but I am **NOT CUTE**."

I chuckled. "See what I mean? If I was there, I would kiss you right now."

"I suppose; you can when I come home- that's if I make it through the night. Gah, your little 'surprise' is killing me already."

"No matter how dark the night, love and hope are always possible," I quoted.

She burst out laughing, "Ahh, it seems my habit of watching too many crime shows has rubber off on you. That was a sad episode- the sadistic murderer was so lovable. I mean he was only like that because he watched his dad kill his mother. I almost cried at the end."

"I know; I was there on the couch with you."

"That's right."

I looked at my bedside clock. Wow, had we really talked for over hour? This call must be costing her a fortune in credit.

"Well I better let you go before your mum notices you're still awake seeming it's one in the morning."

" 'Kay. I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Can you give me one clue before you go? Please?"

How could I not resist Clary's pleading?

"Okay, one clue. You ready?"

"Just hurry up already!"

I chucked as I sang, "I come from the land down under..."

Her intake of breath was audible as I shut the phone, ending the call.

Looks like she knew where we were going.

**A/N- Come on, you should know where they are going or is ignorance shielding your eyes from the world? Hold in there guys, there is more to come and it will get better. Hope you like it. Oh btw, If you were wondering what the crime show was they had been watching, it was Criminal Minds and the quote was the ending quote at the close an episode( can't remember what it's called!!)**


	2. Way I Are

**A/N- Thanks to those who reviewed. My intention of this story is to get the MI crew out of America and into my country where I know most of the places I'm talking about. Enjoy and may I just say, welcome to my side of the world. :P**

**BTW- Nicole: in answer to your question, the 'Take on me' I listen to is the original oldies version by Tears for Fears. There's a newer cover out but I don't know who it's by. **

**And Miss Bellsie: Thank you for the support. And yes, we are totally awesome. Rock on!**

**Disclaimer- MI was not written by me and I only live in Australia, so therefore I do not own either.**

Chapter 2: The Way I Are

JPOV

21 hours.

21 freakin hours.

Kill me now.

Well technically, now it was 19 and 32 min but it was close enough.

I looked around the dark cabin. Some people had reclined their chairs back and were sleeping the long journey off while others had donned headphones and were watching the in-flight movie showing on the small t.v.'s above them. All eyes in the cabin were drooping.

My eyes were far from closing however. Not only was I used to staying awake for long periods of time, I was also abuzz with the adrenalin pumping through my veins. However excited I was, I kept it from my expression. I was used to covering my emotions.

A slight groan emitted from beside me, followed by a tug on my hand. I looked over to its source.

The person beside me was just shifting in her sleep, clearly uncomfortable in her current position. Her flame-like hair got caught underneath her shoulder as she turned toward me, a slight smile on her face although her eyes remained closed.

I reached across with the hand that wasn't busy holding one of hers and freed the tangled hair beneath her shoulder. She stirred as my fingers brushed her cheek I as moved to her shoulder.

"Jace?" She murmured without opening her eyes.

"It's just me Clary" I whispered back. Even whispers carried through the dark, silent economy class cabin of the plane. I sat beside Clary during the flight while Alec and Isabelle sat behind us.

"Go back to sleep Lissa, we still have a while to wait," I said calmly.

Lissa was a nickname that I had given to her one night after deciding Clary sounded too much of a reminder of her hard day, as it had been yelled at her over and over again during a test to receive the Mark of endurance. Even so she passed with flying colours. But I found that it soothed her, a reminder of knowing that I had given it to her

Not her mum, not Simon, but me.

"Mmhm sounds good..." Her voice drifted as sleep stole her conscious mind once more. I sighed. She looked so beautiful when her face wasn't troubled with worry.

It was simply radiant however when it was lightened by ecstasy.

My mind skipped back to the farewell scene at the airport.

*****

Tears of hapiness were leaking from Clary's eyes.

"I'm going to miss you too, mum," she said.

We were gathered at the departures section at the airport. Mayrse and Robert were saying their goodbyes to Alec and Isabelle while Jocelyn was hugging Clary goodbye one last time just as we were about to head down to the checkpoint.

The only thing I was carrying onto the plane was a small backpack that had Clary's sketchpad and pencils, my wallet, our passports and mobiles, and a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste for Clary. Apparently she didn't like having an unclean mouth when she went to sleep.

She wasn't against me kissing her before she went to sleep however.

And, thanks to Customs, we couldn't take any of our weapons with us. I felt a strangely light and I felt slightly more vulnerable without a knife or two (or seven) strapped onto me in various places.

Jocelyn let go of Clary and gave her a meaningful look.

She then, unexpectedly, turned to me and gave me a hug as well.

"Look after yourselves," she said touching my cheek after she had let me go. Things between us weren't as awkward as they used to be. I think she had accepted the fact that it wasn't just a childish fling between Clary and I. Well it had been about what? Two years? We didn't really keep count of the years we had been together.

We didn't go all out our way to be together, like dinner at fancy restaurant, because we didn't have to. We were together most of the time anyway with her living at the Institute now and if we wanted to do something, we'd go for a walk down to central park or something and get takeout.

I thought back to the time we had gone ice-skating a week before last Christmas and got Chinese afterward. Clary, however coordinated she might be with a knife, she couldn't handle a pair of chopsticks.

Yet she wasn't about to give in and let me a) feed her or b) give her the fork I picked up at the takeaway store. Finally after much effort and sauce on her face, she gave in and reluctantly took the plastic fork. Feeding her myself hadn't worked because she kept laughing at the cheesiness of me "spoon-feeding" her.

I chuckled to myself as we gave our tickets to the attendant at the departure point. Isabelle was practically skipping down the hall that led onto the plane she was that excited, her large, red handbag swinging under her arm.

"C'mon c'mon!" She chanted at warp speed.

"We're not going to get there any faster, Iz," Clary said.

That didn't stop her racing down the aisle to find our seats when we got on the plane. Since we had caught a late night flight, we would get there tomorrow morning. It was confusing because we were crossing the International Date Line so, literally, we were flying into tomorrow.

Soon after the rush of takeoff, Clary had fallen asleep, still holding my hand.

*****

I snapped back to the present.

I tapped Alec in the aisle seat behind me and motioned for him to come around and talk to me.

"What's up?" He said loudly. Alec was also another person who, like me, didn't need constant sleep.

I motioned at Clary and put a finger of my free hand on my lips. He nodded in understanding.

"So who are these people were staying with in Australia?" I asked him.

He talked quickly in a hushed tone.

"Mum and Dad know them. They run the Institute in a place called Brisbane. It's in a state called Queensland. Apparently Kieran and Estelle, they're the ones who live there, were in the circle when they were kids but dropped out after school finished. They also have four kids: Adrian is the eldest, he's 20, then Ebony, she's 18, then Carl, who's 14 and then Patrice, the youngest at seven."

"So we're staying at the Institute then?" I hadn't made familiar with the details of the trip.

"Yea. But we're hiring a car out there so we can drive ourselves around. Also Estelle said we can use their weapon supply."

I sighed with relief. "I was hoping we would get our hands on some weapons somehow."

He chuckled and went back to his seat, hoping to get some shut eye.

I looked around me once more. People were asleep everywhere and I didn't really feel like watching TV. I leaned my head back onto my seat and closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come.

*****

I must have fallen asleep at one point last night because I woke to Clary talking to Isabelle behind me. I sat up, bleary eyed.

"Morning sunshine," Clary said cheerily.

"What time is it?" I mumbled in reply.

"About four o' clock in the afternoon."

"What!" I replied. That couldn't be right. If it was 4pm, then this plane ride would be over and we would have arrived by now. And I would have also slept for over twenty-four hours.

Clary giggled at the look of shock on my face.

"We passed the dateline," she said, still laughing. It wasn't often she caught me off guard. I just gave her a smirk.

We spent the next hour and a half talking until an announcement came over saying that we were going to land within the next 20 minutes and to fasten our seatbelts.

If I thought Clary looked excited, then Izzy looked like she was on some drug high, staring out the window with a look of awe on her face.

"Oh my God, guys look! Isn't this exciting! Oh my God!" she raved.

Clary just smiled and took my hand, pointing out the window too. Instead, I slipped my hands around her, pulled her up, slipped into her seat and placed her on my lap.

"Jace..." she laughed.

I ignored her and looked out the window.

Twilight was befalling the sky of pinks and blues. And there, far down below, there was the city.

Brisbane.

Well it was no New York, but it was good enough. A large, cleaner, river ran though the city also and the ocean was sparkling beside the distant city. Further out was an island.

"Sir, could you please sit in your own seat." A flight attendant was walking around making sure everyone was prepared for touchdown. She had noticed I hadn't and how she knew it was me not Clary breaking the rules was beyond me.

I just chuckled and moved back into my own aisle seat, buckling my seatbelt. Finally we were descending. As we hit the landing strip, my stomach was shoved back into my seat and i couldn't help but smile at Clary's beaming expression.

When we came to a standstill, I took her hand and whispered in her ear, "You ready, babe?"

I kissed her on the side of her cheek and she giggled.

"Yep."

I started to get up, and pulled her up with me and wrapped my arm around her waist.

"Let's go," I said swinging the carry-on bag over my shoulder.

"Let's," she replied, as we walked down the plane, Izzy and Alec close behind us.

"Wait!" Izzy cried, "You can't go out there without the right eye protection!"

Alec and I laughed while Clary asked, "What did you go out shopping just for the trip?"

Izzy shot her a radiant smile. "Of course. And I decided this would be the perfect way of getting you all to wear something designer for once."

She handed us all a different pair of sunglasses each, mine looked like they were Ray-ban Aviator's, as we headed out to the arrival's area to pick up our suitcases.

I put mine on the front of my and swung Clary's arm between us as we walked toward the baggage carousel. We waited there for a while until Alec spotted one of Izzy's three large suitcases. Mine came next, then Alec's and the rest of Izzy's. While we waited for Clary's I turned to talk to Alec.

"So do we know what these people look like so we can get a ride out of here?"

He looked around at the crowd filling the airport. "Well, look for a family of six, two of which have blonde hair, the rest with brown and brown eyes."

"Is that them over there?" Isabelle said, walking up behind us with Clary and her bag, pointing over to a family looking up at a schedule on a t.v. above them. Izzy was wheeling one suitcase behind her, her large duffel bag over one shoulder and her red, fake crocodile skinned bag over the other. Alec had taken pity and was carrying her other bag as well as his own.

"Yea, that looks like them," he said.

"Well, let's go then," I replied, gesturing. He walked off, slowly under the weight of Izzy's bag, with us trailing close behind.

As we approached, a teenage girl with wavy sandy hair whispered into her father's ear and gestured towards us. He then nodded and the family moved towards us.

They came to a stop in front of Alec. The father looked like he was in his mid forties, his brown hair slightly receding and flecked with gray. He extended a hand to Alec.

"You must be Alexander Lightwood."

Alec shook his hand. "Yes that's me."

The man smiled; slight crinkle lines wove away from his mouth, as if he had been smiling a lot in his life.

"I'm Kieran Ridgeback. And this is my wife, Estelle," he said gesturing to the woman with long blonde hair and kind brown eyes on his left.

Alec nodded. "A pleasure."

Kieran continued with the introductions.

"This is my daughter, Ebony," he said, gesturing to the sandy haired girl who had alerted him to our arrival, "My sons, Adrian and Carl," he continued, putting a hand on a younger boy's shoulder in front of him, while the tallest male nodded to them in greeting, "and my youngest, Patrice," looking down and smiling at a young girl hiding behind Ebony.

The girl captured my eye. She wasn't like the others. Instead of brown, sandy hair, she had long straight hair like her mother's yet she had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. You could get lost in that deep, intricate blue.

Alec's voice broke my thoughts. "Well this is Isabelle, my sister, Jace, my adopted brother and our close friend, Clary."

Estelle spoke up. "Close friend? I thought you were all family?"

"Technically, we are, seeming as we all have the Angel's blood running our veins, but if went by that we would all be incestuous," I said, smirking at Clary, who was trying to contain her smile.

Alec just rolled his eyes. "Clary isn't a Lightwood, but we count her as family. She's Jocelyn Fairchild's daughter."

Understanding dawned in Kieran and Estelle's eyes. They understood the significance of the name, being ex-members of the Circle. Their respect for Clary just probably increased seven-fold.

Adrian looked at his watch. "C'mon, we better get moving otherwise we'll miss the Air train."

Confusion crossed my face. "Air train? Have they made ones that fly now?"

Alec and Clary snickered while Ebony giggled. "No," she said, "It's just a train line that connects to the airport."

"Well let's get moving then," said Kieran, moving towards the exit. The rest of the Ridgeback's, Alec and Isabelle followed him out while Clary and I bought up the rear.

I reached over and slung her bag over my shoulder. She opened her mouth to protest, but I shushed her with a quick kiss and put my arm her shoulders.

"C'mon, let's make the most of this holiday."

"Definitely," she said. She pulled my sunnies off the front of my shirt and put them over my eyes. "Now you look the part."

"Hell yeah."

She laughed, applying her own Juicy sunnies. "Love you the way you are, Jace."

**A/N- I'm thinking the bit off Twilight for that end sunnies scene *snickers*. Hope you like the story so far. Please review!! (PS Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and it's the tropical state- well I like to think-of Australia. Well technically it's called the sunshine state...)**


	3. Typical

**A/N- Update! Thanks for all those reviews guys, they're awesome! I've had a lot of suggestions about places they should visit and what they should do. Unfortunately, I have a plan down already, so I can't really fit them in. Alas, I have planned a sequel and I will plan them in to that hopefully. Yes, they do come back to Australia, but other than that you'll just have to wait. ;) Enjoy! (Does anyone actually read A/N?)**

**Disclaimer- Don't own MI, Vampire Academy, Fanfiction, 'Typical', or even the sock puppet quote!(you'll see)- They belong to their respectful owners Cass Clare, Richelle Mead, Fanfiction(?), Mutemath and my friend Amy. Rock on girl, thanks for the quote!**

**CH3: Typical**

JPOV

Well wasn't this a pleasant reminder of home.

The train ride.

Compared to the subway, however, this was so much better.

I was sitting beside Isabelle, and Clary and Ebony was sitting in the seats facing us. Alec was behind me, sitting with Adrian.

"So where exactly do you live?" I asked Ebony. She looked up from her book, which she conveniently bought for the trip.

"The Institute is in the city part of Brisbane, so we'll get off this train at Eagle Junction, take another to Central Station and then walk. It's not too far, not that we have a problem of exhausting quickly."

"Is the Institute glamoured like ours in New York to represent something else?" Clary asked. I gave her a sympathetic smile. When she came across unfamiliar, strong glamours, she still had a little difficulty with seeing through them.

"The Institute is a glamoured to look like a large, abandoned apartment block closed for renovations. The actual building is just a church however, like all Institutes."

She turned back to her book, sensing the conversation was over. However, Clary interrupted before she could get lost in the text once more.

"What are you reading?" she asked, peering over Ebony curiously.

She turned to Clary and grinned excitedly. "You a book person too?"

Clary nodded, "I am."

Ebony flipped the book over to show her the cover. From what I could see from here, it looked to have a red background with an Iron Gate design and a girl with long black hair and a smirk on her face.

"It's called Vampire Academy. It's an absolute brilliant book although very contradictory to our way of living."

I chortled. "I'll say."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Ignore him. Jace's mind isn't very open to alternative universes."

"He wouldn't be very successful at fan fic then."

This confused me. "Fan fic?"

Ebony giggled; while Clary's stare seemed to say _geez don't you get out much?_

"Fan fiction is just stories written by fans of the original story. For example, people write stories involving Vampire Academy's characters and references and then post it online, for others to comment and read. It helps the person grow to be a better author," Ebony explained, while tying up her wavy hair.

"Sounds like a load of nonsense to me; people with too much time on their hands."

"Maybe..."Ebony trailed off. She looked away embarrassed.

*****

We arrived at Eagle Junction and the station was packed due to the end of the workday; everybody wanted to take the train home it seemed. Carrying our luggage made pushing through the crowd twice as hard.

While we stood waiting for the inward-bound city train, I eyed the crowd. The people looked much like the ones in New York, just with a different sense of fashion.

You had your business people, carrying their briefcases; the punks, with the excessive piercings; the tourists or visitors like us, carrying shopping bags and backpacks; the students, whose uniforms were crinkled from the day at school and then the group of girls, heading for a night out on the town.

They also happened to be looking at me, giggling, may I add. I assumed my usual sarcastic smirk and turned away, looking down the track for the train.

I felt an arm bump into mine. I knew who it was without looking at them.

"What you doing?" Clary asked.

"Observing, like always," I replied, smiling down at her.

"Mm you do that a lot. So, are you looking forward to tomorrow night?"

"Definitely."

Tomorrow, it was Clary's 18th birthday, and to celebrate, we were going out for a night on the town and Ebony and Adrian were coming with us to show us around. I had also, finally managed to find her a gift which I had to give her tomorrow as well.

"Oh, look, here comes the train," Clary said. She picked up her bag, which she had managed to pry from my grip on the train, and moved closer to the platform. Lucky for us, most of the crowd was heading away from the city, not into it, so there wasn't a huge amount of people pushing through the doors. That wasn't to say we still got seat although.

It was standing room only in our compartment. The Ridgeback's stood in front of the doors and grabbed the handles above them, while Alec, Izzy, Clary and I walked down between the seats, put our bags down, and grabbed onto the handles on the seat beside us.

Clary stood with her back to me, talking to Isabelle about a possible trip into town to go shopping. At one point of the trip, the train jerked suddenly, catching Clary off guard and sending her tumbling into me. I caught her, luckily, before we both ended up on the floor.

"Whoops," she said, laughing, "Sorry hun."

I kissed her on the forehead. "Next time, be ready for it."

She smirked and turned back Isabelle.

*****

After a few stops, seats became available. I stood up, letting the Clary, Isabelle, Alec and Ebony sit down in the four seats facing each other. Later, a double seat opposite the others became vacant and I slid across it to the window, dumping my bag at my feet. As I watched the foreign city pass by, I listened to random conversations of those around me.

"...I know; he's such a player. Dumping you like that..."

"...Look at that chic over there. The one with the black hair..."

"...Do you know how to give a sock a comb over? I need to make a Kevin Rudd sock puppet for English..."

I shook my head, chuckling. Who the hell was Kevin Rudd and why did a sock need to have a comb over?

"Because, she needs to give a speech on Australian politics and to represent our prime minister, she is going to use a sock puppet." A small voice came from beside me and I jerked up to see who had spoken.

It was Patrice; her blue eyes shining and hardly moving even as the train jerked along the tracks. I eyed her suspiciously.

"How did you know-?

"What you were thinking? What Amy was thinking over there?" She replied innocently, her eyes wide.

"Uh, yes..."

Patrice sat down beside me and leaned in, like it was some sort of secret.

"I'm a telepath."

I went blank. "A telepathic Shadowhunter? That's a new one."

My mind wandered. Was she gifted like Clary and I? Or was this some new concept altogether? I was intrigued to find out more.

"So how's it work?"

"I can hear everyone's thoughts around me and what's behind them. I can see into their mind...I can see into their soul practically."

"You very mature for a seven year old then."

She giggled and flipped back a blonde piece of hair. I smiled as i looked at the girl before me. Patrice was wise for her age, and had experienced things not even an adult had through her telepathy. I sighed as the thought of Max crossed my mind. But this wasn't Max, this was Patrice; two very different children yet so alike.

"Who's that?" Patrice asked me.

"Who's who?"

"Max and why is he like me?"

I turned and stared out the window at the passing scenery.

"Jace?" She said touching my arm gently.

"Max was the Lightwood's younger brother. He was both short and smart for his age."

"What happened?"

"He was killed. At the last Accords when Valentine re-appeared. His son, Jonathon killed him, and nearly killed Isabelle at the same time. He was only nine; not even old enough to fight."

Patrice fell silent. She was old enough not to apologize for something she wasn't responsible for, as was the Shadowhunter's way.

"_Ave atque vale_," she recited. A tear rolled down her face as she saw the images of him roll through my head; the good and the bad. For the first time in ages, I felt lost for words.

*****

Finally we reached our stop. Patrice and I had sat in silence for the rest of the trip, but I doubt that's the end of our conversations. She was a mystery that I was going to unravel.

As we all bustled off the train and on to the platform, Clary came over to me.

"What's up, Jace? You look kind of down," she said.

"Oh it's nothing. I was just talking to Patrice that's all."

"And what did a seven year old say to make you look this unhappy?"

I sighed. I knew I should tell Clary because she was a part of this as much as I was.

"Patrice is a telepath; a telepathic, full-blooded Shadowhunter," I said.

Her intake of breath was barely audible. "Do you think...?"

"She's like us? I think she might not have received angel's blood like us, forced through the mother before birth, but just gifted."

We were walking up the stairs and onto the station above us, the golden arches shining before us as well as many other stores to service those before the boarded a train. We passed through the ticket gates and out onto the busy streets.

"Is it possible?" Clary asked.

"There are stories like angels in human form or those who are touched by Angels, like the story of my star-shaped birthmark. But I think the matter is best accepted like it is, instead of delving into the matters of the Angel's. According to the stories, bad things can happen when an angel in human form is revealed."

She nodded and took my hand as we bustled down the street. Well you could say we half ran as the street was elevated and the momentum of our bags hurried us along further. Patrice came up beside us as we tried not to run down the sloped pavement.

"Hi, you must be Clary."

"Hello Patrice. It's lovely to meet you."

Patrice gazed at Clary for a moment. She then said, "Run with me, Lissa."

This caught Clary by surprise, my nickname for her coming from Patrice, but then she remembered our previous conversation.

"Ah I'd rather not Patrice. I'll probably make a fool of myself by falling on my face."

Patrice giggled. "No you won't. By the way, call me Trice, since I've decided to use your nickname."

"Okay, Trice, but i'm still not running down this concrete hill."

Patrice grabbed Clary's hand and pulled her slightly. "C'mon, let yourself go. Be a bird; be free while nobody's here to tie you down! I know you want too."

Clary shrugged and gave her bag to me and followed Patrice down the hill; red and blonde hair blowing back in their wake, dodging the crowds.

Patrice's words had struck a chord in me. We had to let ourselves go once in a while, be ourselves, not tied down by laws and restrictions. We had to break the spell of the typical.

And now was the time.

I launched myself down the hill after the two girls. As I passed Isabelle and Alec I yelled out to them.

"C'mon guys. Be yourselves while no one is around to see." I laughed and continued on. I stuck my arms out like an aeroplane, and I as I passed Clary I stuck my tongue out at her. She threw her head back and laughed.

"C'mon Liss you slow poke! You'll never catch me at that rate!" I chuckled.

Pretty soon all of us New Yorkers were running down the street, laughing all the way. Patrice had managed to drag Carl and Ebony into our fun as well, while Adrian and the parent's hung back, watching us all letting loose for once in our teenage lives.

One thing was for sure. Not only was Patrice telepathic; she was also persuasive.

This was going to be the best holiday ever.

**A/N- Okay, Jace may seem a lil OOC, but I blame it on jet-lag. ;) Next chapter expect some dancing, drama and demons. For now, ciao** **cupcakes!!**


	4. Dark Blue

**A/N- Hey guys. School's going back soon so after this chapter it might take a while longer to update. Okay, in this chapter I'm clearing up any delusional thoughts that might be suggesting there's something between Ebony and Jace. Enjoy as always!**

**Disclaimer- Gah.**

CH4: Dark Blue

"Do up your shirt, please. I am definitely not Clary therefore I don't want to see your inked up chest, Jace"

Isabelle's complaint's fell on deaf ears. So what if I wanted to parade around with my shirt buttons undone? That was my problem, and I didn't have an issue with it. Although we had left summer back in New York, Australia was in winter. It wasn't like our winters however: there was no snow and it felt more like autumn than winter.

I was standing in Isabelle's room, waiting for Clary to get out of the shower.

Tonight, we were all going out to some club downtown with Ebony and Adrian to celebrate Clary's 18th. Alec and I were basically ready to go while the girl's were still getting ready. I had popped in to see if they were done, only to find Clary still washing her hair and Isabelle putting a couple of knives down her boots and a seraph blade around her thigh.

"How are you liking Australia so far Izzy?" I flopped back onto her bed, putting my hands behind my head.

"It's great. I can't wait to go out tonight. Meet some new people; let myself go," she said, digging through her toiletries bag. She gave up, grabbed the bag and went and banged on the bathroom door. Clary and Izzy were sharing an adjoined bathroom instead of cluttering up the main guest bathroom with their 'junk', also known to Alec and me as hair products and make-up cases by the dozen.

"Just a minute," Clary yelled out from the bathroom. Izzy rolled her eyes.

"I don't like this however, having to share a bathroom. It's a nightmare."

I chuckled. "I'd agree, but I use the main bathroom and my showers take under two minutes, unlike your infinite ones."

"Bathroom's free," Clary yelled.

"Finally," Isabelle muttered. She pulled back the sliding door and entered the steam ridden bathroom. I continued to lie on Izzy's bed, staring up at the ceiling. This Institute in Brisbane wasn't unlike the one in New York, only slight differences like different patterns and motifs repeated through the building. But that was only because of southern influences not northern ones.

"Izzzz, I need your help." Clary's whining voice floated through the bathroom and into Isabelle's room. I chuckled.

"Can't Clary, my hands are busy right now," she replied, "Oi, Jace! Get in there and help her! You're the one who doesn't need to do your makeup!"

I rolled off the bed and walked into the bathroom where Isabelle was trying to apply her eyeliner.

"Don't slip now," I said and poked her in the side. She scowled and continued on.

I stopped at the door that connected the bathroom to Clary's.

"You decent?" I shouted through the door. I muffled 'yea' floated back and I slid the door open.

Clary was madly running around finding a pair of shoes to wear while trying to do her makeup in the floor-length mirror at the same time. She looked up at me in the mirror when I walked through the bathroom door.

"Hey, can you quickly zip up the back of my dress. I can't reach it."

"Sure," I said as I crossed the room to her.

I zipped up the back of her short gold dress that draped off her shoulders as she continued to, like Izzy, add extra definition to her already beautiful eyes.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. "You know, you don't really need that stuff when you're already too beautiful beyond words."

She paused; mascara brush held out from her as she considered her reflection. She shrugged.

"I'm not as bad as some extremists. For example, the one in the bathroom now," she said, smiling. She replaced the brush back into its tube and chucked it onto her bed. She then turned around in my arm to look up at me.

"Thank you for the kind words though." Clary stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. But it wasn't too long until Izzy barged in.

"Oi! We're supposed to be leaving now and you haven't even got your shoes on yet Clare! Hurry up!"

"Yes mum," Clary grumbled. I let her go so she could get her shoes. I paced around the room, looking for anything else she needed, while I waited for her to tie the silver laces up around her calves.

"Here," I said as I threw her two seraph blades. She caught them expertly and tied the sheathes around each thigh; the dress just covered them.

"And here," I said again, throwing her another knife, "That's if you have room in that dress."

She smirked and slid it down the front of her dress. I raised an eyebrow and she winked back and giggled.

As soon as she jumped up, I grabbed her hand and we ran down the hall to the lounge room where everyone else was.

"You going to do your buttons up anytime soon?" she asked as we rushed down the hall.

"Only if you want me too."

She smirked and jumped on my back. "Go!" she said, pointing down the hall.

I laughed and took off once more.

*****

CPOV

The club was in full swing when we arrived. Apparently Ebony, who was more like Izzy than anyone could have thought, had connections within the club and got us in with a flick of her hair and a few convincing, eye-battering words. I gave Ebony a grin as we walked past the bouncer, arm in arm.

"I never thought a person like you would be one to hang out at a place like this," I practically had to shout in her ear as we walked into the black and neon green themed club.

She laughed and shook her head. "No way, I love to come down here every so often."

I didn't get the chance to reply because Izzy basically dragged me onto the smoky dance floor. We swayed to the intoxicating bass for a few songs until some blonde, emo-haired warlock came up to us and asked Izzy to dance. Being the flirt she was, she accepted and she flounced off after him, disappearing further into the crowd.

I looked around to see where the others had ended up. My eyes fell upon Alec and Ebony at the bar and Adrian sitting a few seats down from them, looking a bit depressed. I cocked my head in confusion and went and sat beside Ebony.

"Hey," I said as I jumped up on the green bars stool. Ebony saw me and smiled.

"Hey you want a drink?" She asked.

"Yeah, why not," I said, "what about you Alec?"

He looked surprised when he saw me. "When did you get here? I thought you were with Jace?"

I shook my head confused. "I haven't seen him since we arrived."

Alec shrugged. "Well he was looking for you anyway."

"He'll find me soon enough."

I turned my attention back to Ebony who was ordering drinks from a glittering bartender that reminded me of Magnus.

"Uh, I'll have my usual thanks Dom. Clary?"

"Um I'll just have what you're having. Alec?"

"I'll have a 4 X Gold thanks," he said, unsure of himself.

The bartender nodded and went off to fetch their drinks and Alec immediately jumped on Ebony.

"What the hell did I just order?" He asked.

She laughed. "Not familiar with good Australian beer are we?"

He let out a sigh. "Thank the Angel."

I looked over at Adrian again. It seemed as though he wanted to seek solitude, but he looked lonely all the same.

"What's up with Adrian?" I asked Ebony. She noticed my worried look and followed my gaze towards him.

"Oh, he's been like that a lot since..." She trailed off.

"Since?" I couldn't help not asking; the curiosity practically burned inside of me.

"Since his girlfriend died. Well she wasn't really his girlfriend, more like a close friend but all the same."

"Surely he knows that life is short?" I'd learnt that fast.

Ebony shook her head. "This was different. Stella was mundane and didn't know a thing about our world." She paused. "She was killed by bunch of demons. Adrian thinks it was his fault; that if he told her the truth somehow things could have turned out differently."

"Is that why he has been so quiet around us?"

Ebony nodded. "Yes and the fact that you remind him so much of her."

"How? He hardly knows me."

"Your hair," she said, as Dom arrived with our drinks. He passed Ebony and I two yellow cocktails with a pineapple piece on the side while he gave Alec a tall glass swimming with amber liquid.

I picked up one of the cocktails. "What is it?" I asked, sniffing it slightly, "Smells like pineapple and champagne."

"Close," Ebony said, "It's a flirtini: pineapple juice, champagne and vodka."

I took a sip. It wasn't that bad.

"How's yours Alec?" Ebony asked.

He nodded as he drank another mouthful. "It's great."

"That's good because if you said no, well, you probably would have got bashed by some of the people here."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"'Cause it's brewed here in a suburb in Brisbane."

He nodded. "Oh I could take down any mundane that comes at me."

"Well that sounds more like something I'd say," said a voice behind me.

I jumped and turned towards Jace. "Jeez, scare me to death why don't you."

"I'd rather not. I like you better when you're alive."

"Hi Jace," Ebony said, smiling.

"Ebony."

I shook my head. It was so obvious she was flirting with him. But then again Jace and I really hadn't given much away around the Ridgebacks to say that we were _together_. It was time to introduce ourselves to them then.

I took his hand and intertwined my fingers with his. He smiled and bent down where I was sitting to kiss me. It was only quick but I'm sure Ebony got the message.

"Come and dance Clary," he said, tugging slightly on my hand.

"No way, I'm got to finish my drink first."

He took the half-finished cocktail out of my hand, drank the rest and put the glass back on the counter.

"Come on," he said taking me by the waist, "You're going to dance with me whether you like it or not."

I sighed and went with him. Jace twirled me as we walked over to coloured lights and I couldn't help smiling. Things were so easy between us.

I smirked as I recognized the remixed song that the D.J. was playing. Even though the words were kind of...uh, wrong, the electronic beat was extremely addictive.

We joined in the crowd of grinding bodies. I was content with swaying, Jace's hands on my hips. He wasn't though.

"C'mon Clary, I know you can do better than that. Let that bass take over," he whispered in my ear.

He pulled me tighter against his chest and I grinded myself against him. The next song started and it became more and more bass heavy. It was like the music wanted me to go out of control.

I threw my hands up into the air. Jace moved his hands up and down the sides of my body and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I shook my head and sang along to the words of the songs I knew as I wound my arms around his neck. Song after song, Jace and I danced among the coloured lights and sweating crowd.

"Okay," I said after so many dances I couldn't remember, "I need to take a break. I'll meet you at that table over there when I come back."

A confused look crossed his face. "Where are you going?"

"Where else could a girl possibly go that already has a man?"

He gave me a crooked smile and I flounced off toward the girl's bathroom. As I squeezed through the crowd, I caught sight of Izzy; in a shade of red that should be illegal it looked so good on her, dancing with an electric-blue haired guy. He looked part fey from here.

The bathroom was...different. The walls and floor were covered entirely of that black grip stuff with the flat circle bumps you found at the foot of doors to wipe your shoes on, except it wasn't black.

It was fluoro yellow.

Fluoro yellow!

My eyes watered at the sight.

It was the kind of fluoro that made people run in fear, screaming, 'My eyes!'.

Oh well, I'd have to endure it- I really needed to go.

*****

_Okay_, _almost out of this dreaded bathroom,_ I mentally told myself as I washed my hands and checked my reflection.

Apart from my eyeliner smudging a bit, my makeup and hair were good to go. As I fixed up my eyeliner something caught my eye in the mirror. A shadowy figure was taking form in front of the last cubicle's door.

I twisted around pulling out one of the seraph blades around my thigh. "_Arael_," I muttered and the blade came to life, flaming blue.

The corporeal form solidified into an Eidolon demon. I hadn't seen one of these demons since the hordes at the second-uprising, and it wasn't something I liked to be reminded of. I gritted my teeth prepared to fight.

"Well," it hissed, "It seems as if we've found our first victim for the night."

"I don't know who you think you are but you picked the wrong girl to mess with."

"Oh I know who you are and you are the right girl I need to mess with."

This confused me. How did they know me? I've never been to Australia before.

I didn't have much time to deliberate on the thought as the demon lunged at me. I slashed Arael outwards, striking it across the chest and spraying the floor with ichor. I had its death within my grasp.

I stood tall, raising the blade to drive the final blow.

"Na-uh," it gurgled, "we're not done with you yet."

We?

Before I could turn, a pair of scaly hands grasped my neck.

**A/N- Okay just a bit of extra info on some of the references. The song Clary describes as 'wrong' was 'Jizz in my pants' by the Lonely Island. Yes, XXXX (4X) Beer is brewed in suburb in Brisbane. And finally, I have actually been to a place where that grippy-wipe-your-shoes-on stuff has been plastered all over the walls and floor of the bathroom, only it was bright green and on every floor (except in the labs) alternating in yellow and green; Scary, but awesome. Hope you enjoyed this chapter- there's is more to come. But for now, ciao!**


	5. While Your Lips are Still Red

**A/N- Okay I know how every FF seems to state that the demons want Clary for some outrageous reason or another, but I have my own reasons. Don't worry you'll find out soon enough. And no, Jace isn't going to get down on one knee either or impregnate Clary so you have nothing to get worried/angry about. Another minor note- there's a few swear words in this chapter, so I apologize in advance to those who are offended by it or normally avoid it. I know it's silly, but I never know exactly who's reading this.**

**Disclaimer- I know I shouldn't have to repeat myself, but I like writing them sometimes.**

CH: 5 While Your Lips Are Still Red

CPOV

I felt the nails pierce my skin and the heat of my blood flowing down my neck. Another pair of hands caught my left hand. I fought the pain in my neck, twisted around and sliced off the head of the demon holding my hand.

The demon on my neck pried its talons out of my flesh and threw me against the wall, hitting the hand dryer in the process. I turned to face it. This was the first time I'd seen just how many demons were in the bathroom with me.

Shit. I was dead.

Where were the others? Surely their Sensors would be vibrating off the hook seeming there was over ten demons in the girl's bathroom!

I grit my teeth and took a defensive stance. _God help me,_ I thought.

I lashed out at the first demon in my path, kicked down a second but before I could do much else, I was held up by the throat at the wall tightly forcing me to drop the seraph blade.

What I did next surprised myself and the demons around me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Like a girl, you could say.

That was until I was stabbed in the stomach. Pain tingled through my veins and my scream came cut off. I could feel the blood seeping though my dress, dripping slightly down my leg.

"Foolish girl- You're at my mercy now."

"Never," I hissed.

Crap. I'd pushed the wrong button. The demon snarled and threw me against the toilet door. The only thing was the door wasn't locked, so it merely pushed in out of the way when I hit it. I fell to the floor, cracking my head against the toilet. Pain shot through me and everything went black.

*****

JPOV

I checked my watch again. Surely, the bathroom wouldn't take this long, especially not for Clary. She had never been one to hang around the mirror for long.

I leaned against the tall, drinking table and waited.

Five songs later, I decided I couldn't wait any more. I looked around for Izzy on the dance floor but somehow she was no longer on it. I walked back to where the others were sitting by the bar.

Ebony was talking to Isabelle now while Alec had now turned to Adrian.

"Hey, you guys haven't seen Clary have you?"

Izzy gave me a confused look. "I thought I saw her with you about twenty minutes ago?"

I nodded. "She was, until she went into the bathroom."

Ebony laughed. "She's probably just fixing her make-up."

"For nearly twenty minutes?"

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't get too worried, Jace. She'll come out eventually."

"Can you just check?" I asked, putting a hand over my eyes in exasperation.

Isabelle sighed. "Alright."

She jumped off the chair and gracefully walked off to the restrooms. I took her place at the bar and thrummed my fingertips on the bar. After a few minutes, my phone started to vibrate in the pocket of my jeans. Caller ID stated that it was Isabelle.

"Izzy?"

"Jace," she shrieked, "Get in here now!"

Her tone worried me. "What's happened?"

"Demons," she whispered harshly.

I could hear the sounds of her whip whistling through the air and the sounds of a demon's screeches in the background.

"Where's Clary?" I asked.

"I'm standing here over her unconscious body in a bloody toilet cubicle so hurry up and get your ass in here now!"

I snapped the phone shut and slipped out my seraph blade, not naming it yet as I was still in plain sight.

"Jace, what's going on?" Ebony asked. Alec picked up on her tone and tuned in as well.

"Demon attack," I said through gritted teeth, rushing off toward the bathroom. They hurried after me, pulling out their own weapons as we crossed the room.

I pushed the door open, ignoring the dirty looks from passers-by, and slipped inside.

"Holy Shit," I murmured.

The bathroom was filled to the brim with demons. They hadn't noticed Alec, Ebony, Adrian and I. They were a bit preoccupied with attacking a cornered Isabelle who was standing over Clary, who looked like she was peacefully sleeping on the floor. The small window above her had been broken and part of the wall had been torn away. The demons had been trying to kidnap her.

Fury burned through my veins. "_Ramiel_," I growled. The light of the sword flared up in my hand. I jumped and cut down the first demon in front of me- it didn't even see me coming.

The rest of the group followed my lead and we gradually defeated the large number of demons in the bathroom, one by one. I looked around.

Ichor covered the floor, splattered up the walls and stuck to our sweaty skin and now-ruined clothes. Whispering was coming from one of the cubicles.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Wake up!"

Crap. The fight had consumed my mind so much; I had forgotten why I was fighting in the first place. I rushed over to Isabelle who was kneeling by Clary's unconscious figure.

I picked up her hand and squeezed it ever so gently.

"Clary. Clary, love, can you hear me?"

No response. Not even a twitch. I tenderly swept the hair back from her paled face and stroked her hair for a moment, only to pull back when I felt something wet. Red stained the palm of my hand. She was bleeding.

"Crap," I murmured.

"What is it?" Isabelle said beside me.

"She's hit her head. It's bleeding pretty badly."

"Did anyone bring their stele?" I spoke frantically. Why hadn't I thought to bring one?

"Yeah, here," said Adrian, handing over his silver stele.

"Are you trying to wake her up, Jace? You know it's better just to let her do it herself," Alec said. He didn't seem to know however that she was bleeding from her head.

"She's wounded," I said through gritted teeth, "Clary could be bleeding to death for all we know!" I rolled her head over slightly, pushed back her red tangles and drew the _iratze _rune on the side of her neck.

"Liss, wake up. Please," I said, nervously. I picked up one of her hands again and held it tightly between mine.

"Jace we should get her back to the Institute," Ebony said, her face set in a worried mask, "Adrian, can you go get the car?"

He nodded. "I'll be out front." With that, he turned and jogged out the bathroom.

I picked up Adrian's stele again and drew a glamouring rune on my forearm and then on Clary's wrist. After I had finished marking her, I slipped the stele into my back pocket and swept Clary's limp body up into my arms.

"Let's get her out of here," I said.

*****

CPOV

Images came and went. Vivid images flashing behind my closed eyes like a flickering roll of film: A little red-headed girl, her hair bouncing as she skipped along the suburban street with her mother; a forearm almost completely covered in silvery scars from used Marks; Jace holding me in his arms as we lay on a picnic blanket in the middle of nowhere, watching the snow fall from the sky; A pool of glitter, shimmering in the sunlight; A young girl playing her violin to the wall in front of her, a golden pair of wings sprouting from her back. I expected the image to keep change but the young angel stayed, continuing to play her lonely sonata to the wall.

I reached out my hand to touch her shoulder covered in golden runes. She spun around at the sudden touch to her cold skin. I looked at her innocent yet beautiful face when I noticed her eyes. Their colour flickered from an icy blue to luminous ochre.

I took a step back as she lowered her violin from under her chin and started to move toward me, my eyes trapped in her gaze. Suddenly, I couldn't move back from her any further. I was backed up against the wall.

The angel, her violin now gone from sight, took my face between her cold hands. It slightly pained me to look at her; her radiance literally just shone from her skin, creating a sort of aura around her. She stood on her tiptoes to bring her mouth to my ear, her blonde hair tickling my cheek. I had the urge to brush the annoyance away but I remained frozen.

In a sweet resonating voice, she whispered, "Save her. Save my sister."

"From who?" My voice sounded harsh in comparison to the glorious angel before me.

But she didn't answer my question. Instead she pressed her lips to my skin just above my collarbone beside my neck. She brushed her fingers over the spot and then drew back, her wings stirring a breeze in the empty room.

"This will save her, you and Heaven's Warrior."

"Who?"

"Only the son and daughter of Heaven can save her from her wrath."

"I'm the daughter of Heaven? What wrath? Is Jace involved in this?"

"Fear not, precious one, all will be revealed in its own time."

"But who is your sister? How can I save her?"

The angel smiled. "She will come to be known soon." The girl reached out and touched my neck again. "This will guide and save you and all that you know."

The angel began to slowly glide back from me. I reached out for her, but my hands grasped only air. She smiled.

"_Ad maiorem dei gloriam_," she said with finality. She raised her arms to the ceiling. Suddenly, the room was consumed in a bright light and I shielded my eyes. I felt a burning sensation on my collarbone growing stronger as the light grew brighter. I fell to my hands and knees, my entire torso aching from the pain.

_Clary_.

Yes? I wanted to answer.

_Clary._

I looked around for the source of the voice but the light still burned brightly and the angel's figure was still etched on my retinas from where she had disappeared.

Had my time come to leave already? I couldn't leave Jace yet or any of my extended family for that matter. No, I refused to go. I wondered if this was how everyone else reacted when the light had come for them.

_Clary! _

The voice was clearer this time and I could tell it wasn't God's or any other angel's. Its roughness compared to the angel's voice made it obvious that a human was calling her.

My eye lids fluttered open. Everything was blurry at first but my eyes soon focused upon the high ceiling above me.

There was an exhale of breath beside me. I tried to turn my head towards the person beside me but their hands were already on each side of my face, forcing it upwards. Their lips were on mine almost instantaneously, the gentle pressure sending shots of adrenalin through my body. He pulled back but left his hands on my cheeks.

"Jace," I whispered, my voice hoarse, "Where am I? What's going on? What ha-"

"Shh," he said quietly, "Getting better is my first priority for you right now."

"I feel fine," I protested. I tried to sit up but a wave over dizziness overcame me and I held a hand to my head. Jace gripped my shoulders and pushed me gently back toward the pillow. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, watching me carefully.

"Rest," he said firmly.

"Tell me what happened first," I said. I tried to remember how I had got here but my memories kept coming up blank. The last thing I could positively remember was leaving Jace at the club to go to the bathroom...

"Oh my God! I got my ass kicked by a couple of demons," I exclaimed, hitting myself in the forehead. "Some demon hunter I am," I added grumbling. I expected Jace to have that look on his face that said he was disappointed in me.

But Jace was shaking his head, smiling in fact. He took one of my hands and idly played with my fingers, calculating his response.

"You must have been taken by surprise. I know I was when I came in looking for you- just by the sheer amount of demons there were." He shook his head in laughter.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"You're the only one who was injured. I sent Isabelle into the bathroom to check on you when you didn't come out for around twenty minutes. She found you unconscious, surrounded by demons trying to kidnap you out the window. "

"How long have I been out?"

"About four hours," he answered.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting then," I said, smiling. Jace grinned back.

"You had me worried sick." He kissed my wrist and put my arm carefully across my stomach. I smiled. There was a light in his tawny eyes that, no matter how he tried to hide it, showed he had been worried and truly cared for me.

Suddenly, the angel's words from my dream floated back to me.

_Only the son and daughter of Heaven can save her from her wrath. _

"What was that?" Jace asked. I looked up at him and realised I must have spoken the words aloud.

"Oh nothing," I said, innocently. Jace didn't need to think that I was some sort of clairvoyant, claiming to know the future, and seeing angels in my head. No, he defiantly didn't need to know.

More of the dream came back to me: the burning pain on my neck, a violin, the young angel's words last words to me...

_Ad maiorem dei gloriam__._

I filed the phrase away for later, letting myself come back to the present.

Jace was still looking at me, one eyebrow raised. I avoided his gaze and sat up again, successfully this time, and slipped off the bed slowly, gaining my balance. The faint pink light from the dawn seeped in through the window of my room.

"You hungry?" Jace asked, standing up as well.

I nodded in response. "Just let me get changed first," I said as I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and my grey shirt with one sleeve that hung off my shoulder.

"I'll be waiting."

I chuckled, knowing he was staring after me even after I had slid the bathroom door closed behind me.

**You like? Next chapter is almost done. I just gotta cut it in half and make it into two chapters- yep, it's that big. Anyways review as always.**

**NOTE- Want the MI crew to go to a place in Queensland or anywhere in Australia? PM me the details or tell me in a review cause they will be doing a bit of travelling around in the sequel. I know this is mainly towards the guys here in Aus, but if you know the details for a holiday destination over here, tell me- I would be really appreciative of the ideas. Who knows, you and your idea might pop up in the next chapter...**


	6. Until the End

**Okay , This chapter was so big I had to divide it into 2. Yes, be warned, mayhem ahead. Oh yea, if you haven't heard there's going to be a fourth book on Simon's POV!! Check out CC's LJ- all info there. *cheering* So many good things being released: Blood Promise(newest sequel in the Vampire Academy series),Catching Fire(the Hunger Games sequel), Muse's 'The Resistance', Paramore's 'Brand New Eyes' in Sept plus a shopping trip on the hols in Brisbane! Gosh, so much stuff...so little money.**

**Disclaimer- Orange iPod- Check! Optimus Prime pen- Check! Mortal Instruments- ah, no. DARN IT! *stamps foot***

CH: 6 Until the End.

_What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson_

CPOV

I dressed quickly, humming as I went. It surprised me to realise I was in a good mood despite what had happened last night.

I watched myself in the mirror as I brushed through my knotted hair. I saw the new silvery scar behind my ear when I brushed my hair to one side and felt the bump on the back of my head; I must have hit my head pretty hard last night.

But as I tied my hair up I noticed something else on my skin.

A gold rune had been what looked like it, _burnt_ onto my skin just above my collar bone and swirled slightly up my neck.

Right where the angel had kissed me last night.

I ran my fingertips over the rune, trying to read its foreign meaning. I had never seen anything like this rune drawn on a human before. The only ever gold runes I had seen were the ones that covered the angel Raziel's skin.

I continued to stare at the burn-like rune; It quivered slightly under my touch and I drew may hand back almost immediately. Suddenly, understanding washed over me and the rune's meaning became clear.

_Strength of the Saviour_.

Was this what the angel meant when she had said that it would save us from her sister's wrath? And who was her mysterious sister? She must be on Earth, somewhere close, if she wanted me to find her.

So far the angel's words had made sense. Jace and I were the son and daughter of Heaven, thanks to Ithruiel's blood. But did that make Jace, as the young girl said, the Warrior of Heaven? If he was, what did that make me- The translator?

I snorted and put the brush down onto the vanity. I decided I would show Jace the mysterious rune and explain about the angel's wishes for us later. Right now I had bigger things to worry about. Like how I would cover the gold pattern until then.

I searched around the bathroom for a hoodie. Somehow, despite Izzy and I had only been here about a day or two, the bathroom was a mess; clothes and toiletries were strewn everywhere. Remarkably, however, there was no jumper in the mess. What now? I couldn't go back out to Jace without him not seeing my rune. I could imagine our sarcastic conversation now...

"Hey, Clary, what's that thing on your shoulder?"

"Oh, nothing, just a mysterious rune I got from an angel in a prophetic dream I had while knocked unconscious."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. Oh, don't worry, we only have to save somebody with it."

I shook my head, shaking off the thought of how messy that conversation could get. I brushed out my hair, twisting around my neck, hoping to hide the Mark. I took a deep breath and slid back the bathroom door quickly, making a beeline for my wardrobe and avoiding Jace's gaze from where he sat on my bed.

"What's the rush?" he asked as I swept past.

I began rummaging through the draws. "Nothing. I'm just cold."

I extracted my striped jumper from the mess of clothes that had been shoved into the draw, pulled it on and turned to face him. He had one eyebrow raised.

"Are you seriously cold?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Don't blame me when it gets colder when the sun comes up in about half an hour."

He smirked, stood up and walked over to me, placing his hands on my cheeks.

"I know you're hiding something."

"No I'm not," I said, trying to play my best poker face.

His smile grew more pronounced. "Yes you are. I know you too well now, Clary."

"Well even if I am, I'm obviously not about to tell you."

He gazed down at me through his lashes. "Well then, by the time I'm through with you..." He trailed off seductively, lowering his mouth to mine. I reacted instinctively, closing my eyes and reaching up on my tip-toes, waiting for his kiss.

But it didn't come. I opened my eyes to see he had stopped about an inch away from my lips.

"...You'll be begging," he finished, his sweet breath washing over my face. I frowned but it soon turned into a smug look as I thought of an...appropriate comeback.

I twined my arms around his neck and played with a few strands of his blonde hair. He smiled and I reached up to whisper in his ear.

"Two can play at that game, Mr. Lightwood," I said as sexily as I could. To make the effect bigger, I playfully bit his earlobe and then pulled away from him all together. I flounced toward the door, leaving him, stunned, in my wake. Only once I had got out the door did I peek back into my room. He was still standing there.

"You coming or not?" I said.

He turned around, a grin on his face. "Gosh woman, don't rush me."

*****

Breakfast had been a quiet affair. Jace and I had been joined by Kieran and Estelle after we had sat down with a pile of toast, butter and plum jam. Isabelle had stumbled in at 6:30, complaining about the sun being up to early while moaning for a cup of coffee. The rest of the Ridgeback's and floated in at seven, looking completely normal as they settled down at the table for brekkie, compared to Alec, who looked a bit emo, his black hair plastered across his face from his morning shower.

"So what's on the agenda today?" said Estelle. It was obviously an open question.

"Going over to Brad's," said Carl, "His dad said he would take us out to the trails today."

"What are you guys planning to do?" Ebony asked me, her hair showing coppery streaks this morning.

I shrugged. "Any suggestions?"

"We should go to a theme park," Izzy piped up.

"Or sleep," Alec groaned.

"Aww come on Alec! It'll be fun," she said. "You know you want to!"

"She's right there," Patrice pointed out. Alec frowned, but didn't think anything of it. Obviously, it was only Jace and I who knew about her abilities.

Ebony said, "Well there's Wet 'n'Wild, Warner Brother's Movie World-"

"Sea World!" Patrice threw in, excitedly.

"Yea, but that's boring," said Carl.

"There's Dream World and White Water world," Ebony went on.

"Aren't they conjoined though?" Adrian said. I frowned. Was that even a word?

Carl nodded. "Pretty sure."

"Well, I like the sound of that one," Jace said.

"Wouldn't go to the water park side because it would be too cold," Kieran said from behind his newspaper. Estelle nodded.

"Dream World it is," I announced, "Who's coming with me?"

"Me obviously," Jace said with his mouth full of cornflakes. If four pieces of toast weren't enough, he was onto his second bowl of cereal.

"I'm in. So are you," Isabelle said, glaring threateningly at Alec. His eyes widened and he nodded in response.

"You want to come?" I said to Ebony.

She nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"You should come too, Adrian," Izzy said.

"Sounds like fun," he replied.

Patrice got down from her chair and went over to Estelle who was sipping her coffee, and whispered in her ear. Estelle smiled when Patrice was finished whispering.

"No, darl, you can't go with them. We'll still go, but you'll just come with Mummy and Daddy."

"And me!" Carl protested, "I'm going to ring Brad and say I can't go on the motorbikes with him today." And with that, he was off down the hall, his footsteps grower fainter by the second.

"Well you better go do your music before we leave then," Estelle said to Patrice. She nodded and ran off down the hall.

Well, I'm off to get ready," I said, getting up from the table. Jace got up beside me.

"So what time are we leaving by?" he asked.

Kieran looked over at the clock. "Well its eight now and the gates open at ten so we'll leave sometime around nine. Oh by the way, luckily your rental is in the garage with our car so we have enough space to take everyone down to the Coast. You guys will just have to follow us when we get to the turn off."

"Okay," he replied. And with that he took my hand and we walked out of the kitchen.

We walked down the corridors, hand in hand, passing open and closed doors. Music floated down the next corridor; not the modern kind either but a low, full moaning of classical music being played on a bass-like instrument, coming from an open door down the hall.

I peeked in as Jace and I passed, but the door hid the occupant inside. I stopped Jace and went and opened up the door more.

There in the corner, beside a grand piano, was Patrice; her arm moving back and forth as she bowed the beautiful stringed instrument. What was its name again? Like a giant violin but sitting on the ground. No, not the double bass- that was fatter and closer to the ground.

"Hey, Jace, what's she playing?" I whispered to him. I didn't want to disturb her beautiful playing.

"It's a cello and the composition she's playing is 'Winter' from the Four Seasons," he said.

Well, there goes my so-called knowledge of the musical world.

Carl was there, too, sitting behind the baby grand. And an expensive looking one at that.

"It's from Europe," came Trice's voice from the corner. My eyes flitted back to her, where she had put down her cello on its side and was now flipping through pages on her stand.

"It's gorgeous," said Jace. Carl nodded.

"You're welcome to play it if you want," he said, standing up and moving to a chair beside a bookshelf full of scores and other musical compositions.

Jace smiled, and walked over to the piano stool, dragging me along as well I might add. He sat down and pulled me down beside me. He smirked before placed his fingers on the keys and started to tap out the bass part of 'Heart and Soul'. I laughed and took the cue. He had taught me to play the top part one day back in New York so we could play it as a duo someday together.

Apparently, this was that day.

He laughed as I started to stick my tongue out as I concentrated on remembering the melody. Hey, it was genetical habit, I couldn't help it! Trice obviously thought it was pretty funny too because I could see her giggling on my peripherals as well as humming along to the song.

As we played the final chord progression, Trice stood up from her chair and started clapping enthusiastically. Carl did as well, only in a more guy-ish way. I stood up and took a small mock bow and pointed to Jace, like the hostess would do to the showcase of prizes on the show, _Wheel of Fortune_. Just to play along, he curtsied, pretending to lift a skirt and bopping his head from side to side. This made Patrice and Carl laugh harder; I covered my mouth as I laughed at him. He shut the piano lid and took my hand.

"See you soon guys," I said.

"Kay," Trice said, waving; traces of giggles were still emerging.

*****

We all met back at the kitchen by nine. Jace had our carry-on bag from the plane over his shoulder with my camera, 2 water bottles, our wallets, his phone and a few other things while Izzy had her giant red, almost-leather, handbag. Kieran had given the keys to our rental to Jace and we followed them downstairs to the garage. Mum had wanted me to get my licence as soon as I came of age, and seeing how good it was to drive yourself around, Jace got his as well.

As soon as the lights in the garage flickered on, there were uttered words from the boys.

"My God..."

"Totally owe Mum one..."

"Wow..."

I snorted. All worked up over some good car. I went to take the keys from Jace, but knowing my intentions, withdrew them from my grasp.

"No way, I'm driving," he said, in an awed tone.

"It's just a car."

Jaws dropped at my statement.

"That's not just a car, Clary," Alec said, "That's a Porsche 911 Convertible."

"And I'm driving," I insisted, turning back to Jace and making a lunge for the keys.

He just shook his head and held them higher. "I think I'll drive it first."

"Oh COME ON!" I said. He just raised an eyebrow in response.

"Fine. Bags driving it home then."

Jace leaned up against the car door, crossing his arms, "Sorry, can't take the chance."

I leaned up against him, putting my head on his chest. "Please?"

I must have looked at him in a pretty convincing way because he sighed and shook his head.

"Fine."

I smiled. "You know you love me."

"Until the end, Clary," he answered simply.

**The almost leather handbag lol. I'm having so much fun with this it's not funny. Also, everyone, would you please give a big round of applause to Inkinhart! *claps hands in a circle* She has given soooo much info for the sequel destination that I don't know what to do with it all! But dw, I will put it all in there somehow. :) So, as always, hope you enjoyed the chap and PLEASE review. Not only do they make my day, they force updates to come quicker. Tata for now! B.**


	7. Mika, Evermore & Muse Spectacular!

**;)Okay, this chapter was unplanned so I slotted in three songs for the chapter that I love and thought they suited best. **

**After thought- OMG like if 5 more stories are uploaded, the MI category will reach 1000 stories!! Wooo! I reckon we should have a party just to celebrate or start a forum with every author who has posted an MI fic and bounce ideas off each other. But meh, that's not likely to happen, the former or the latter.**

******

CH:7 The Shiny Girls and Boys got sucked into a giant Black Hole because this chapter takes the cake for my biggest one so far. *big thumbs up*

...

O.o

Aka. We Are Golden, Hey Boys and Girls & Super Massive Black Hole

*giggles* I'm in a crazy/happy mood. :)

JPOV

"_I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
You were hanging in the corner with your five best friends  
You heard that I was trouble but you couldn't resist  
I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad..."_

"OKAY CAN YOU SHUT UP NOW?!" I shouted to the girls in the back over the ridiculously loud music. It was so loud the thumping bass could probably be heard 5 cars in front of us.

"Oh lighten up, Jace, we're having fun," Isabelle said back.

"It's kind of hard while I'm driving Izzy!" I retorted.

"God, did the aliens forget to remove your anal probe or something this morning," she muttered.

That woman could be so unobservant. Did she see how much traffic there is on the highway this morning? And we were only halfway there.

While I was driving this awesome car, Alec was fingers were clicking over his phone's keypad. Since when did Alec text? And who was he texting?

But my thoughts were interrupted by another round of singing from my girlfriend and my, now ex, sister. Yeah that's right, I, from now on, have disowned her and will no longer suffer from the consequences of her actions.

...Maybe death from noise irritance was still on the cards if she kept the singing up though.

"_I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I'm sure  
And I just can't wait till the day when you knock on my door  
Now every time I go for the mailbox , gotta hold myself down  
Cos I just wait till you write me your coming around  
I'm walking on sunshine , wooah  
I'm walking on sunshine, woooah  
I'm walking on sunshine, woooah  
and don't it feel good!!"_

Ugh how would I live.

At least it wasn't Taylor Swift.

Famous last words.

As the opening chords of 'Love Story' came through the radio, I switched it off.

"Aww come on Jace! Turn it back on please," Izzy complained.

"No, and that's final," I said, sternly.

There was silence for a moment in the back. Then giggling arose. I frowned; the girls were up to something- most likely plotting how to get the radio back on.

"Jaaaace," Clary whined. Damn, they'd pulled the 'girlfriend' card. If anyone could sway me, it was Clary. And now, most likely she would do something that would make me change my mind.

"What Clary?" I said through gritted teeth, not looking at her either.

"Can I turn the radio back on please?" I could just imagine her big, green eyes with that shine in them, willing me to do what she said. But I didn't look at her. I wouldn't.

"_Please?_" She pleaded.

I couldn't help it; I looked. As soon as my eyes met her sad expression, I caved. I sighed and switched the radio back on. She pecked me on the cheek.

"Thanks Jace," she said as she jumped back into her seat.

Whipped.

That was now my answer to everything.

*****

CPOV

After an hour in the car, we arrived at Dreamworld.

Finally!

We met up with the Ridgebacks in the car park and all headed up to get our entry passes. I swear Patrice was like on a cordial high or something because she bouncing, like, a metre in the air. What surprised me more was that Jace gave in and gave her a piggyback when she asked for one. He really liked this kid. I smiled as I saw her up there on his shoulders, squealing with delight.

Isabelle had her sunnies on, reading the park map; looking like she belonged on a beach while doing it.

"Where should we go first?" She said.

"I wanna go on a ride with Clary!" Trice yelled from atop of Jace's shoulders.

"Can't argue with that," I said, laughing.

Estelle sighed. "One ride, sweetie, and then you can come with Mummy, Daddy and Carl. Ok?"

Patrice nodded eagerly. "Can we go on the dinosaur rollercoaster?"

"Dinosaur?" Alec said, as if he had never heard the word before.

Ebony nodded beside him. "The Ruggrat's ride," she said.

Nobody argued with that. We walked over, chatting and laughing amongst ourselves, to Nickelodeon Central and the, according to the map, Runaway Reptar Rollercoaster. There wasn't a huge line so we only had to wait for one turn to go round.

When it finally did come for our turn, I went in front of the rollercoaster with Patrice who was bouncing up and down in her seat. I bet this was the most extreme ride she was allowed on here. Iz and Ebony were behind me and Carl behind them.

It surprised me how Isabelle and Ebony had struck up such a good friendship in less than three days. Isabelle never used to be that appealing as a friend to other girl Shadowhunters because of jealousy and the guys lusting after her; maybe it because she was in the same predicament as Ebony. I mean, she was really pretty and everything but Ebony didn't really seem the type to use that to her advantage.

"Whatever you do Clary, don't smell the harness," Izzy warned from behind me. I tried to turn my head to say to her 'Why the hell would you even do that, Iz?', but I hit my nose on the hard plastic of the harness and caught a whiff. It was terrible.

"I can see your point," I called back, wrinkling my nose. Ugh.

The ride jerked all of a sudden and I lost my footing to the air. Okay, despite how kiddie this ride looked, I had never been in one of these roller coasters before that I wasn't firmly in a cart; this one was just dangling seats and harnesses. So yeah, you could say I was just a little nervous.

As we began the first climb up, Trice was wooing beside me and waving to her family, Jace and Alec below us. I looked down at Jace only to look back straight ahead; this was higher than it looked. Then we hit the downwards part.

"SHEEP!" I cried, as we started to get faster, the air whizzing past my ears. Trice was squealing beside me, and Izzy and Ebony were laughing and yelling at the same time as we kept on just missing poles holding the track up above us.

Then it was over. The ride slowed and moved back into the sheltered station.

"Please exit to the right and don't forget to collect any loose items," the bored voice droned through the speakers. I un-did the harness clip and pushed it back over my head, doing the same to Patrice's.

"Seriously Clary, what was with the 'sheep!' thing?" Izzy asked. I gave her the look and she smiled.

"Let's go again!" Patrice said, still bouncing. I smiled.

"Maybe later," I said taking her hand and leading her out the exit gate; I didn't want to disappoint her. How a small gesture made me feel like a parent of sorts. I've always pictured me having a little ankle-biter running around my future house but I just don't think I'm ready for kids now though.

Maybe someday I will; when Jace is ready too of course. Gosh that would be a sight to see- Jace chasing his little son or daughter around everywhere. I smiled at the thought. Maybe I _was_ ready to have a child. I mean, my life expectancy had drastically dropped since I had taken up demon hunting as a career, so maybe a child would be nice before anything happened.

"What are you so deep in thought about?" A voice said interrupting my train of thought.

I looked up to find Jace standing in front of me, Patrice still holding my hand as we stood with the rest of the family. I blinked; I must have really been thinking deep.

"C'mon, the ride couldn't have been that scary that you're in shock over it," he said again. This time I replied.

"It's worse than it looks." He nodded and went along with it; he knew I wasn't up for sharing my thoughts.

Next, we all went over to the tiger exhibit. I had always seen them in movies and stuff but I had never actually seen one in person before, not even a zoo.

Yes, my mother had been that overprotective that she hadn't even taken me to a zoo.

Ever.

Sad isn't it?

Anyway, I'm over it now because this holiday is totally making up for all her indiscretions in the past. I was dragged into the gift shop by the tiger's enclosure by Izzy. She is the type of person who can't go anywhere without buying something even if it was just food or a souvenir. In this case it was a cap with an awesome contemporary pattern, complete with the advertising jargon 'Dreamworld, Tiger Island, Gold Coast'.

"I'm hungry," Jace said. I stared at him. Hadn't he eaten enough food for three days at breakfast already?

"Well there is a hot dog stand on the way to the River Rapids Ride," Ebony said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm starved," Alec said.

"Well, we will leave you to it then," Estelle said, "Call us if you need us. Ebs, have you still got your phone on you?"

"Yea Mum. See ya later," She replied. We separated and Alec, Jace, Ebony, Adrian, Isabelle and I walked back towards the entrance.

Ten minutes later I was staring at the largest hot dog I had ever seen.

"What do you call this?" I said exasperated as Jace put the large hot dog in my hands.

"Extra cheese," he said, taking a huge bite out of his own.

"But...!"

A confused look crossed his face. "I thought you liked extra cheese?"

"No. Have you seen the size of this? It's as big as my forearm!"

"Nu-uh-"

"Oh whatever-"

"It's bigger."

My mouth dropped. "How big is it exactly?"

"A foot."

"A foot long hot dog! I hope you're eating this if I can't finish it," I said, taking the extraordinarily large sausage on bread from Jace's hands and took a bite. It was pretty good however big it was.

"You're a fool," I said with a mouthful.

Jace gave me a lazy grin, "But baby, I'm a fool for you."

I just shook my head in pity that he had actually seen that movie.

*****

IPOV

This is ridiculous.

"Sorry, Miss, you cannot leave your bag here. You have to take it on the ride with you," the guy that operated the ride said. I looked at the open circle cart that everyone else had already piled in without compliant and knew that I was going to get whether I like it or not.

"Do you have a plastic bag at least, sir, that I can put it in?" I pleaded. He sighed and went to look in the little box that controlled the ride. I smiled when he found one and gave it to me.

"Thank you sooo much," I said as I shoved my giant handbag into the plastic bag and hopped into the tube with the others. I put my covered bag under everyone else's in the centre of the tube and grabbed a hold of the rail. Everyone else was just looking at me with an expression unique to each of them.

"What!?" I said.

Jace raised his eyebrows, but still no one said anything. I shook my head and the ride plunged into the water, lightly splashing us.

"So much for not getting wet," Clary muttered.

Clary proved to be right. After the rapid ride, which wasn't as bad as it looked (my shoes got soaked but Alec copped most of the water. Poor him), we went on the log ride.

What a bad idea that was.

In my log boat was Ebony, Clary and I. Jace, Alec and Adrian were behind us on the next one since they could only take four at a time. We had the photo that took automatically on the end run of the ride planned out. Ebony at the front was going to hold her hands out downwards, Clary straight out to the side and me up top.

It didn't work out very well.

Outcome of the ride:

-Us: soaked.

-Photo: Disastrous.

Ebony had it right with a giant, hilarious smile on her face. Clary looked out sideways at the last minute; she hadn't realised the hut beside the slide down was so close, so she had thrown her left arm straight up into a 90 degree angle. Me?

Clary's stray arm had covered the entirety of my face.

"I am so not paying for that," I said, as I wrung out the bottom of my t-shirt, looking at the photo in the souvenir shop; my denim shorts were never going to dry so I gave up on them.

"You have to admit, Izzy, it's pretty funny," Alec said. I sniffed and continued wringing out my shirt. The boys ended up getting a great photo; they had the whole KISS look going on with the tongues out and rock-on signs. Why couldn't we girls get one as good as that?

"Trust Clary to ruin the picture," Jace teased. She poked her tongue out at him in response.

"So where to next?" Clary said, as she slipped two photos in the backpack Jace was carrying and two into Ebony's Transformer's backpack. I just tsked in disgust.

Alec looked at Jace and nodded. "We're going to take the up the challenge and go on the Giant Drop."

I looked up at the 120 metre tall metal structure that towered above the whole park, dominating the landscape. Seriously, we had seen this a few kilometres away on the highway.

"You'll chicken," I said, shaking my head. No way was I going on that anyhow.

But Jace and Alec remained adamant all the way to the ride. Us girls and Adrian lounged on a park bench in the sun hoping to dry out somewhat, watching each gondola go up for the 5 second free fall plunge.

"There," Ebony said, pointing at the end of the cart that was starting to go up now. Clary had her mouth covered as the guys got higher and higher. And suddenly, it was falling.

You could hear the screaming from our place below as it came down and came to a jolt at the bottom. Alec and Jace gave us the thumbs up as they disappeared back into the station. I smiled. They had done it.

*****

AlecPOV

Holy crap. That was the scariest shit out I swear. I mean I was still shaking from excitement and nerves from the Giant Drop.

When we reached the others, Clary ran straight to Jace and Adrian clapped me on the shoulder.

"Good job, man," he said, "I wouldn't have done that on my first visit."

"Trust me, there's something you been missing, then."

An alarm of sorts sounded. It had been going off all day in fact at different intervals during the day and it was usually followed by screaming and the sound of metal against metal.

"What's that alarm?" I asked.

Ebony listened and then smiled. "Oh that's the Tower of Terror."

"What ride's that?" Isabelle asked, looking around, "Sounds thrilling."

"Oh it is. If you look to the side of the Giant Drop tower, it's the ramp going up alongside it."

Everyone looked up just as the alarm went off again and the screaming started once more. A cart shot up the ramp at some insane speed and up the tower, only to roll back down at that same crazy mileage.

"Let's do it," Clary said with determination. Everyone just looked at her.

"Seriously, Clary, you didn't want to go on the Giant Drop, why would you do this one where you go vertical!" Izzy said, gripping Clary's shoulders.

"If I'm going up to the top, I may as well do it fast," Clary said.

Nobody could argue with that. So twenty minutes later, after waiting out the line, we were filing into the gates outside the ride.

"You nervous?" I asked Ebony beside me. She nodded. Must be a first-timer at the Dreamworld Tower; I wasn't anymore because Jace and I went up on the Giant Drop. I had to admit, this one did look a bit more daunting though.

The nervous silence broke though when someone started laughing in the row behind us. I turned to see Clary in a fit of giggles and pointing to the spray-painted mundane stick figures on the metal door beside me, indicating the amount of people in the row allowed.

"What's so funny?" Ebony asked. Izzy beside her was also baffled and Adrian made a 'crazy' gesture to Iz. Jace knew because he was grinning along.

"What?" I said.

Clary pointed at the stick figures again and wheezed, "Look at the graffti!" before being forced into another fit of giggles.

I turned and saw what she meant. According to the picture the picture, my person had boobs, Ebony's had a penis, Iz's had some retarded look on her face and a spaz arm and Adrian's had emo hair and a handbag.

Ebony and Izzy just burst out laughing at this; even Adrian snickered. I rolled my eyes and just looked at Clary as if to say '_you are so immature'_. She still continued to laugh though even as the doors open and led us toward the cart.

I piled our bags into the lockers on the other side and then jumped on the end of the third row. The attendants gave us the usual rundown except emphasising on some minor details like keeping heads back into the seats which was unusual. This thing must go fast then.

And within one moment, of the operator pressing the button, we were shot like a bullet out into the sunshine, the force pushing me back into my seat. The world seemed like a blur as it passed and all I could hear was Ebony and Clary screaming, Jace and Adrian yelling and Izzy letting off a high-pitched giggle and a whole lot of profanities thrown around by everyone on the ride. I threw my hands up and started laughing as well. This was like the coolest thing; I wish Magnus was here to enjoy it with me.

The ride seemed to slow as we neared the top of the tower and I had the chance to look around. The view was spectacular; the mountains seem to go on for ages and so did the trees. The sky seemed so close that I could almost touch it and the specks of a city could be seen on the horizon when I tilted my head back. That was until we started going backwards.

We descended back down the tower, gaining speed as we went, until we hit the horizontal run where we were going probably as fast as we were at the start. The cart shot backwards along the track and back into the station where we were jolted to a stop.

Murmured words, consisting of mainly 'oh my effing God' or 'that was shit-in-my-pants worthy' among others, crowded the once screaming atmosphere of the passengers. I got off, shaking slightly from the ride but still feeling the high that the ride had instilled.

"Wow,' I said as a shaking Ebony hopped off behind me.

"That... was freaking awesome," she said.

I high fived her, clasping her sweaty palm, "Hell yeah."

Looking behind me, Clary was holding a hand to her forehead, while being supported by Jace who was grabbing the bags out of the pigeon holes and tossing each of them to their owners. Izzy sort of half tripped out of the cart and caught Adrian's arm before she could fall to the ground.

"Thanks," I heard her murmur weakly.

We made our way down the elevator and down to the gift shop on the ground level. There Izzy went on another one of her souvenir shopping hordes and we all looked around at the Tower of Terror merchandise.

"Hey, do you think Mum would like it very much it I came home with these dangling in my ears," Clary said, holding up a pair of Emily the Strange earrings that looked like safety pins with a little skull and crossbones and a chain hanging from them.

"Oh I want a pair!" Ebony said, going over to Clary and was then emerged in a babble of jewellery talk.

When we finally made our way out, with the photo of course, Jace checked the time on his phone. "Hey guys, it's about time to go so do you guys wanna start heading back to the front?"

"Can we stop by the lolly shop first?" Iz asked.

Jace looked back at the time. "Yeah, why not?"

After about what I thought was an hour or two in the confectionary shop, we met up with Kieran, Estelle and the kids at the entrance. Izzy insisted for a group photo just for good measure, so she rambled up to a random Asian couple who looked also to be tourists and asked them to take the picture; somehow she managed to get the message across to them by using hand gestures.

Clary then grabbed the car keys off Jace and jumped into the driver's seat before anyone could stop her. Why couldn't I have got my driver's licence?

For once in a long time, I was jealous of Clary again.

*****

CPOV

Now this is what I'm talking about.

Sports car? Check!

Boyfriend in the passenger seat? Check!

Pumping music? Hell yes!

"Kay, first of all guys, we're going to take this roof off; second, no one touches the radio unless specified by moi; and third, make a fool of yourself- it makes the car trip more bearable with you guys," I said, putting my sunnies on and inserting the keys into the ignition, giving the Porsche a few revs for good measure. Very nice- I can see what the boys were on about now.

Jace pulled the soft top down as Izzy and Alec jumped in the back and I pulled off the hand brake, ready to go. Once he had finished and got in, I pulled out of the park and onto the road out.

"This has more horsepower than I expected," I said to Jace.

"It's called a real car, Clary," he said, the wind slightly ruffling his hair.

I stuck my tongue out and poked the radio on, sounding Monrose mid-song.

"I love this song!" Izzy said, bopping along to 'Hot Summer' as I pulled out onto the highway and stuck my pedal to the metal, singing along to radio as we went.

"_It's gonna be a hot summer  
A hot, hot summer  
Hot summer  
A hot, hot  
Gonna be a"_

_Beach lake  
Convertible  
Short dress  
Here we go_"

I joined in the laughter that was being left on the highway behind us.

**So what cha think? Sorry if it took so long to update. But good news is I'm like almost finished school for the year! *cheer* Only four weeks left. :D So yeah, drop me a line through review even if you just want to say 'I despise Global warming!!'. Lol. Cheers!**


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